The ºüÀêÊÓƵ Zoo has added one new adorable animal to its menagerie, but has also parted ways with another.
Roxie, a female Grevy’s zebra foal, is the first animal born at ºüÀêÊÓƵ Zoo WildCare Park, the zoo’s new safari-like experience that is set to open in north ºüÀêÊÓƵ County in 2027.
She weighed just under 96 pounds when she was born on April 16. Zoo officials say she is bonding well with her mother, Gemma, and another female zebra, Laila.
Male zebras do not participate in the rearing of their offspring. Roxie’s father is Presley, who remained behind at the Forest Park campus of the zoo when Gemma went to WildCare Park. Gemma was pregnant when she made the move in September; the gestation time for zebras is 13 months.
Grevy’s zebras are an endangered species. Gemma, 7, and Presley, who is 11, were paired as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan for Grevy’s zebras.
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“Gemma is a first-time mom and is doing everything right in caring for her newborn. Roxie follows her mom closely, is nursing well and has a lot of energy,†said Martha Fischer, general curator at WildCare Park.
WildCare Park, where Roxie dwells, is now home to a total of 16 animals, including the zebras, 12 critically endangered addax and one critically endangered Somali wild ass. Animals are slowly being introduced to the park so they can gradually acclimate to the surroundings, zoo officials said.
When the 260-acre park opens in three years, it is expected to be the home of 250 animals, including giraffes, white rhinos, kangaroos and other species.
Meanwhile, the zoo has also sent its sole capybara, 4-year-old Fauna, to the San Antonio Zoo.
Capybaras are highly social and crave the company of other capybaras. The San Antonio Zoo has two other capybaras, Ginny and Luna, who are both 3. They live in a new mixed-species habitat with two giant anteaters.
Capybaras, which are native to South America, are the largest members of the rodent family. They stand up to 4 feet long and up to 2 feet high, and can weigh more than 100 pounds, according to the Rainforest Alliance. They are highly social and crave the company of their fellow capybaras, living together in groups of around 10 to 20.